A felony is crime considered serious, generally punishable in the United States by one year or more in prison or by death. Murder, for instance, is a felony.

Note, however, that many new crimes are also felonies. For example, in some cases draining water from your property without a government permit or removing asbestos from your property without government authorization may be a felony. Such "crimes," which affect nobody but the property owner, have only under recent, liberal administrations become the government's business.